MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Ingredients:
1 recipe Go-To Pie Dough, divided as instructed in step 1 and refrigerated (recipe follows)
Filling:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/8-inch thick
1 to 1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- Prepare the pie dough as directed, but divide it into three equal pieces. Shape into balls, then flatten the balls into disks about 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste, then cook the potatoes, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. You’re just trying to soften the slices and make them slightly flexible, not fully cook them. Immediately scrape the contents of the pan onto a platter and set aside to cool. Mix the Parmesan, sage, and oregano in a small bowl and place in your work area. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the other two pieces of dough in the refrigerator, roll the dough on a floured work surface into a circle 8 or 8 1/2 inches in diameter. Transfer to a large baking sheet, leaving enough room for a second circle of dough. (You can also do the rolling and assembly directly on parchment paper, then lift the parchment and galettes onto the baking sheet.)
- Leaving a 3/4-inch border all around, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan mixture over the surface of the dough. Cover the cheese with 4 or 5 overlapping layers of sweet potatoes slices and sautéed onion. Sprinkle the top with another 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Fold the uncovered border of the pastry up over the potato slices. Slowly drizzle 3 to 4 tablespoons cream over the potatoes.
- Repeat for the next galette. Refrigerate the first two galettes on the baking sheet while you make the last one in a pie pan or on other smaller sheet. (You may end up with leftover sweet potato slices. Use them in soups, stews, or sautés.)
- Bake the galettes until golden brown and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Midway through the baking, change the positions of the pans so the galettes bake evenly. Transfer the galettes to a rack. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe for Success:
Nothing says that you can’t make two medium-size galettes - or even one big one - out of this recipe. Each way has its advantages. Simply divide the dough and the other ingredients accordingly, and roll the dough no more than 1/8 inch thick.
Go-To Pie Dough:
It’s no mystery why I call this my “go-to” dough: It’s so versatile that I use it for perhaps four out of every five of the savory (and sweet) pies that I make. You can’t beat it for reliability, and it bakes up to a beautiful texture, perfectly balanced between flaky and short. This is the single crust recipe; the double crust version follows. The recipe calls for a food processor; to make the dough by hand, see the note.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 (9 ½-INCH) PIE OR TART SHELL)
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter plus 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (or 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white vinegar
Scant 1/3 cup cold water
Directions
- Put the butter and shortening cubes in a single layer on a flour-dusted plate, with the shortening off to one side of the plate by itself. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl and refrigerate that mixture also. Pour the vinegar into a 1-cup glass measure. Add enough cold water to equal 1/3 cup liquid. Refrigerate.
- When you’re ready to mix the pastry, transfer the flour mixture to a food processor. Pulse several times to mix. Remove the lid and scatter about 6 tablespoons of the butter - a little more than half of the total fat - over the dry mixture. Pulse the machine five times - that’s five 1-second pulses - followed by an uninterrupted 5-second run. Remove the lid and add the remaining fat. Give the machine six or seven 1-second pulses.
- Remove the lid and loosen the mixture with a big fork; you’ll have a range of fat clods, most quite small but a few larger ones as well. With the lid off, drizzle about half of the liquid over the mixture. Replace the lid and give the machine three very quick, half-second pulses. Remove the lid, loosen the mixture with your fork, and add the rest of the liquid. Pulse briefly three or four times, just like before. The mixture will still look crumbly, but the crumbs will be starting to get a little clumpier.
- Transfer the contents of your processor to a large bowl, one large enough to get your hands in. Start rubbing the crumbs together, as if you were making a streusel topping - what you’re doing is redistributing the butter and moisture without overworking the dough. (Note: If your dough mixture came out of the food processor more clumpy than crumb-like, don’t worry. Just pack it together like a snowball, knead it very gently two or three times, and proceed to step 5.) You can accomplish the same thing by “smearing” the crumbs down the sides of the bowl with your fingers. When the dough starts to gather in large clumps, pack it like a snowball and knead gently, three or four times, on a lightly floured surface.
- Put the dough on a long piece of plastic wrap and flatten it into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours; overnight is fine. (You can also slip the wrapped dough into a gallon-size plastic freezer bag and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.)
Note:
To make the dough by hand, chill all of your ingredients as specified in step 1, but increase the flour to 1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons. Remove the butter and shortening from the refrigerator 5 to 8 minutes before mixing; it should have a little “give” to it when squeezed between your fingers. Add about 6 tablespoons of the butter to your dry mixture; toss to coat with flour. Using your pastry blender, cut in the butter until the largest pieces of fat are pea-size. Add the remaining fat, toss to coat, and cut that in. The entire mixture should look like it has been “touched” by the fat, and nothing should be larger than pea-size. Pour half of your liquid down around the sides of the bowl, but not in any one spot. Mix well with a large fork, moving the mixture in from the sides and up from the bottom. Repeat with the remaining liquid, but add the last few teaspoons only if needed. Rub and smear the crumbs as specified in step 4 until a dough starts to form. Pack the dough and knead gently a couple of times. Flatten into a disk, then wrap and refrigerate.
